Working with the Grandmothers to bring about Awakening, ReUnion & Reconciliation

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I’ve had a revelation lately. It has to do with my desire to build a gentler world where we aspire to turn down the noise level of our 21st century lifestyle.

And being a Music Messenger, music is one aspect that particularly interests me. Why have we grown accustomed to loud music? When did it become acceptable to shout to be heard in retail shops, in restaurants, or even walking down a busy street? Are we so afraid of the silence that we’ve lost our ability to sit in it?

Ordinary levels of sound have been increasing as the years go by and my sensitivity to those levels has also been increasing. Some days, when I have to go out and face those over-amplified shops, the frustration overwhelms me. Because silence is not something you can wish into existence in the face of noise. Sound is like light. It reaches outward and claims the space around it. When it comes to Light invading the darkness, most people agree this is a positive event. A transformation of some kind. But it is not so with sound. Sound invading the silence is not considered a positive phenomenon to those looking through the same glasses. It is the opposite. Sound hinders the ability to enter the inner worlds where transformation happens. Silence encourages it.

What can I do? What can one person do?

Well, one person can hide away from the world and never shop again. They can go to natural settings and stay there. They can where earplugs wherever they go. But that is not realistic. Those on a spiritual journey are not meant to hide away from their world, they are here to be in it and transform it if they choose. And I guess I choose to change it.

As a spiritual woman on a journey of self-responsibility and self-evolution, I know that I am not interested in being that person who goes around telling people to “turn down that racket!” My reaction to the noisy environment is my own and if others are happy in that same environment, then they deserve their happy experience as well. The trouble with focusing on all those shops and restaurants that irritate my quiet sensibilities, is that I bring the irritation more into my experience. It is the law of attraction at work in a way I don’t want. So. What can I focus on instead?

I can focus on the gratitude I feel for those establishments out there who ARE turning down their music and creating gentle, soothing spaces for their customers. And there are many of them because there are many business owners who are like me, and require peace for themselves. Those establishments are bold and are worthy of my praise. And I want to THANK those establishment somehow. Here is where my revelation comes in. Why don’t I do just that? Why don’t I create a little “Thank You” card for turning their music down and creating a “vibrationally-friendly” atmosphere for their clients.

Brilliant!

So I have created that sweet little card. I’ve decided to call it the ShhMuse Approvalcard. Get it? haha

Its says something like this:

ShhMuse Card of Thanks
We’d like to thank you for playing “Vibrationally-Friendly” music in your establishment today!
The music was:
__ a) played at a nice, soft volume;
__ b) joyful and tended to have a positive message;
__ c) soothing;
__ d) all of the above
A group of highly sensitive individuals who tend to be over-stimulated in our beautiful, loud world, have decided to make a point of sending people like YOU a token of our deepest gratitude.
This little card means….we love you for making our world a gentler place.
You are officially ShhMuse Approved!

What do you think? I’m going to carry them around and when I have been blessed with a soothing sound experience, I will pass one on to the owner! Simple as that!

I mean whoever takes the time to honour the quiet ones. Doesn’t the saying go…”the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Well…not any more! I’m gonna grease up the beautiful sensitive types who create lovely spaces for people like me. Thank you thank you thank you!

I am eternally grateful and appreciative of your efforts to make this a quieter world. Many blessings.

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I am coining the term “Music Messenger” because I’ve discovered a profound change occurring in the hearts of a particular kind of musician. We are birthing a spiritual movement that manifests as a deep commitment to serve humanity. Our songs are like prayers and we want to elevate our words, our subjects and our songs to a high calibre for the benefit of others.

Like other spiritual seekers who express themselves through music, my particular style of music-making has fallen through the cracks within the music industry. Until now, I’ve been unable to come up with the right term or genre to describe my music and worldview, that satisfies the present music industry. I am many things: I am a singer/songwriter, a storyteller, a crooner, an empath, a balladeer, a siren, a traditional singer, an actor, a belter, a writer, an activator, a wailer, a feeler, a chanter, a lullaby’er, a healer, an oracle, etc. Where does ALL that fit in the mandate of a radio station, or funding body or on a booking agent’s roster? “But what are you though…Country? Pop? Jazz?”

I have come to the realisation that I have outgrown the traditional music industry.

As a woman who embraces the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual parts of myself, why would I hide the good bits – the juicy, ancient bits – to make myself fit within the mould of the mainstream media. I am the full Medicine Wheel of who I am and it is my responsibility to fly my true colours! Not just for myself, but for others who are embracing their complete selves as well. I am a Music Messenger and, when it comes down to it, we Music Messengers are more “spiritual initiates” than “commercial performers”.

There! I’ve said it.

So now what? Where do we fit? And what the heck is a Music Messenger?

Besides embracing multi-genres and many styles, I have come up with several definitions that celebrate all the aspects that differentiate us from regular musicians.

– Music Messengers are singers who use their words and voice to communicate a message of hope and joy.

– Music Messengers create songs with the INTENTION of uplifting people’s spirits, opening people’s hearts, and bringing people together.

– Music Messengers aspire to raise the consciousness of Man.

– Music Messengers, like the Bards of Old, have successfully passed through the initiations of their own dramas, taken responsibility of their creations, and learned to translate this mystical journey into song for the benefit of others.

– Music Messengers sing of a personal relationship with our Divine Creator.

– Music Messengers endeavor to create high vibrational songs of love and joy that raise the frequency of the listener.

I am setting these words down on paper because someone needs to acknowledge this underground movement swelling up through the cracks. Someone needs to NAME the change that is happening within our musical hearts. We all know that religious hymns, sacred songs, and gospel music have been in existence for eons, and will continue to serve their holy messages through the various religious channels. But for the explosion of non-denominational spiritual seekers out there today, the songs need to express more of a “personal” relationship with God – more like God the “Pal”, rather than God the “One Who is Written About in This Big Book”. Music Messengers are creating this personal, but global musical movement.

Okay…

What is the Music Messenger Movement?

It is the musical equivalent of the Self-Help movement – the industry based on helping people help themselves emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally.

Just like the self-help books that lift us out of our despair, the music of the Music Messengers make us FEEL GOOD. Our music is more like an audio lecture. Our songs are meant to be mindfully paid attention to. Music Messengers’ songs inspire us in the same way beloved books from our favourite authors inspire us. When we reach for these books we are seeking comfort and wisdom and we’re receptive to the messages that jump out at us. Music Messengers endeavor to create the same effect…to soothe our weary hearts and bounce us back into our joy.

You may think that New Age music is the musical equivalent of the Self-help movement, and you would be absolutely right. It is. Within the New Age Music category you can find music that facilitates your yoga, relaxation, dancing, trance, healing and meditation needs. All of these modalities are used to uplift our spirits and make us feel better. However, there is a gap in the New Age movement that does not embrace vocally- and lyrically-based music because it interferes with the needs of the listener. The storytellers, the bards, the singers, the lyricists, and the medicine talkers fall through that gap. So, by owning our own purpose, which is to communicate a message of love and joy through our voice and our words, Music Messengers are creating our own category, much like Gospel, New Age, Blues, or World Music did in their day.

Some volatile element has shaken us awake, and we are here to record the mass awakening through song. Our attention is being drawn to the awareness of the suffering of others, and once we’ve tasted the nectar of compassion, we cannot help feel the call to serve. Music Messengers are here to serve.

Hello and welcome to my “Expanded Andrea” website. For those who don’t know me, my name is Andrea Menard, and I am a Metis singer, songwriter and actor who is visible in the world as a creative artist. You can find out more about me at http://www.andreamenard.com. But I have been wanting a place to express the connected, spiritual side of my nature and when I stumbled upon my new handle, expandreamenard, I knew this was the place.

Can we just play with my new name for a moment?

EXPANDreamenard

expanDREAMenard

expANDREAmenard

expandreaMENARD

Fun, huh? This is why I had such joy when it came to me.

I truly am walking into an expanded phase of who I am. My re-location to Vancouver from Saskatoon in late 2011 started the whole process of expansion. I was very happy in my big house on the Saskatchewan river, but I was getting lazy and complacent and even a little sad. My big dreams were getting hazier and more distant the longer I ignored that dull sense of dissatisfaction in my belly. Not a good sign for a creative, spiritual seeker. One day, as I was walking along my beautiful river, I started to cry. It was one of those core, bone-deep sobs, and I knew I was to say goodbye to my river, to my home, and to my life in Saskatoon. My spirit had been calling, in fact yelling, for me to snap out of my routine, and listen for the next action. I finally listened. And acted. And here I am in Vancouver.

I have always felt my heart expand when I am engaged with Mother Earth’s natural beauty, but the energy and natural wonders of this west coast city are so different from the prairie city I came from. The beautiful enormous sky, volatile river and golden prairies have changed to incredible mountain views, smells of the ocean and lush forests and greenery. That in itself has launched new thoughts, feelings and desires. Meeting Mother Earth in this part of the country has opened my heart even wider, and I guess, has laid the groundwork for my expansion.

When our hearts expand, our whole outlook on life expands. Our thoughts, our beliefs, our joy, and yes, even our career, friendships, and love life. Have I found all these things? Yes. I can say my network and relationships and my career have expanded, but only because the expanded thoughts and beliefs about myself attracted new people and experiences into my life. The inner work always comes first.

With the help of Mother Earth, my spirit helpers, sacred silence, and prayer, I continue to expand my consciousness, let go of my self-imposed limits and reach for the joy in all situations. Don’t get me wrong, I fail all the time! But I keep trying because it is still the most worthwhile journey there is.

Thanks for being a part of my expanded family and I look forward to serving your journey in the best way I know how…with song, story, sacred teachings, and love.